Recent Posts

The Affairs of the Falcóns: A Novel, by Melissa Rivero Have you ever had a book hangover? Similar to a real hangover, it’s like you’re kind of in a fog the next day, with some residual mental soreness. I was NOT prepared for the major book hangover I’d get from this book. In this novel […]

Broken Nek: Finding the family you never knew you always wanted: by Katie Albrecht and Mary Albrecht Every once in a while, I get an email or message from a self-published/small-press published author asking for a review. Without mainstream publicity, sometimes these messages come from people whose books do not appeal to me, or I […]

Leading Men by Christopher Castellani It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Tennessee Williams. The delusional and traumatized Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, the fiery Maggie from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the delicate Laura in The Glass Menagerie, and the trapped Catherine of Suddenly Last Summer. These women continue to […]

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib Animal crackers and cocoa to drink, That is the finest of suppers I think; When I’m grown up and can have what I please I think I shall always insist upon these. –Christopher Morley Anna Roux is a professional dancer from Paris, France who moves to […]

I read Jill Santopolo’s first adult novel, The Light We Lost, and absolutely loved it. I was drawn the to scenery of Columbia University (Go Lions!) and how a relationship can be both strengthened and weakened by shared trauma- in this case, the tragedy of 9/11. More Than Words take us back to New York City, where […]

When I posted a photo on Instagram of Martha Hall Kelly’s book Lilac Girls, I was so excited to see so many people posting their excitement about Kelly’s newest book, Lost Roses, a prequel to Lilac Girls that brings focus to Caroline Ferriday’s mother, Eliza. Here is the Lost Roses cast of main characters: Eliza […]

Walking up to the main entrance of the Majdanek Concentration Camp, it looks like something out of Star Wars or Planet of the Apes. Little do you know what you are about to encounter once you step in. The horror of the experience is captured in objects- the bins of shoes, the ovens, the shower […]

My husband and I are not fans of diets, and we try to live a balanced lifestyle as best we can. That said, long commutes, a distaste for meal prep, and an affinity for ending our days with sweets/wine/beer, etc., have made us feel “bleh.” Not to mention that good food preparation is key for […]

A few weeks ago, I was sent David Bell’s 2015 book Somebody I Used to Know, specifically re-released in mass market paperback format. I had heard many good things about Bell’s thrillers, so I was excited to dive in for my first read of 2019 (okay…I started reading at 10:00pm on Monday the 31st- […]

It’s been a while since I’ve finished a book in a day, but crummy Chicago weather really helped me sit down with this page-turner. I was a Psychology of Criminal Justice minor in my undergrad years, and a Law Minor in Grad School. I love alllll things legal, and my friend Sara and I can […]